Farewell
by Kalduin
Summary: Hogwarts' nurse Poppy Pomfrey and gruff auror Alastor "Mad Eye" Moody were closer than most people knew.


It was well kept secret that Poppy Pomfrey and Alastor Moody had known each other since childhood. As family, who had produced aurors for generations, Moody family kept itself to secrecy and Alastor's birthplace was unknown even to Ministry.

It just happened that Pomfrey family had been connected to Moody family for long and therefore enjoyed closer relationship with paranoid auror bloodline than anyone else.

Poppy Pomfrey and Alastor Moody were close from young age. Young Poppy fell for rather rough, but good hearted Alastor. Her feelings weren't one sided, but young man couldn't live his life peacefully by the side of the woman he loved. He often said it was in his blood to look into abyss and sneer at it. Poppy knew that he loved man, whose sense of justice was so strong, it would save countless lives, expect his own.

After reaching adulthood, Moody told her about his future choice. Choice she knew he had made long time ago, but it still hurt.

„I can't let scum run wild in this world. Poppy... I'm sorry. This is just who I am."

Giving one awkward hug, Alastor Moody turned and walked out from Poppy Pomfrey's life for many years to come.

She kept eye on his career. As young auror, Moody became soon famous. He was considered greatest bane of dark wizards British Ministry of Magic had. Internationally renowned auror, whose sense of justice and unwavering will to face darkness, was sometimes compared to the Light of magical world himself, the great Albus Dumbledore with whom Moody enjoyed close friendship.

Moody walked his path alone and took everything life threw at him. And it was a lot. She saw him many decades later. He was lying in St Mungo's, one leg missing.

Long years of dodging death had given him instincts to sense Poppy right away. Turning his scarred face to the woman closest to him, he cracked a scarred smile. Pomfrey ran to him, loosing her resolve. Hugging the man that had been in her mind all those years, she cried. Cried for all the years they had lost and all the years they will lose, until death does them apart.

Next time they met was shortly after Death Eater trials when Dark Lord had disappeared.

Poppy gave Alastor's damaged nose a sad look.

„Rosier," man gruffed. „Gave the bastard chance to surrender, he decided to go out fighting. Took piece of me before he went."

Poppy sighed.

„I remember Evan Rosier from Hogwarts. It's... so disturbing to see people you knew as kids turn into vicious killers."

„He made his choice. They all made it." Moody's answered, eying his flask.

„Yes, they all made their choice. We all did..." Poppy's voice faltered, when she watched Moody gulp whatever he had in his flask. Moody's magical eye turned to her and stopped. A moment of silence followed. They both understood what had been said and what was left unsaid.

„Yeah," he gruffed. „I made my choice. Haven't regretted it a single day."

Poppy gave him wan smile. „As long as you're satisfied."

She turned to leave, but was stopped by rough hand grabbing her shoulder with surprising gentleness. Poppy Pomfrey felt shivers. Shivers that had nothing to do with not liking the touch.

„I'm sorry... I left you... But this is just who I am."

„I know... Alastor."

It took more than ten years when they met again. Headmaster Dumbledore had hired Moody as his new Defence Against Dark Arts professor. Moody was as gruff and evasive as usual, but Poppy was happy he was at least in the same castle. To her horror she found out that it was really one of the Death Eaters, Bartemius Crouch Junior, impersonating the man she loved so dearly.

At the end of the year, Moody lied in Hogwarts hospital wing. His peg leg and magical eye resting next to cupboard to his bed.

Poppy sat next to him. It was silence only they could share. All words had been said long time ago. Poppy woke up from her thoughts, when she felt one scarred hand taking hold of her own. Alastor smiled his scarred smile. Poppy answered with her own. The silence continued.

When Voldemort took over the Ministry of Magic and Hogwarts, Poppy Pomfrey could only be strong for the sake of the students under her care. Minerva McGonagall had told her about Moody's death through Voldemort's hands. Fate that Poppy had expected, had known would wait the man, who meant the world to her. Fate that still broke her inside. She cried, showing her tears only to Minerva, who held in her greatest moment of despair.

Now she could only keep doing her work, keep strong for the sake of Alastor's ideals, for the sake of her ideals. For the sake of those oppressed, she would continue being the nurse who cares. Just like Alastor had fought darkness with his own way. They were both fighters in a different way.

Only after the last battle and Voldemort's defeat, could she finally say her good byes to Alastor. Harry Potter took her to the forest. he had buried old auror's magical eye. Poppy had hugged the flustered boy, after he told her how he had took Moody's Mad Eye back from Umbridge's door.

„This is where I buried it," Harry pointed to old and gnarled looking tree. Poppy knelt in front of the cross mark Harry had left there and looked up to the young man.

„I'd like to talk to him."

Harry nodded silently and left her alone.

„Oh Alastor," Poppy Pomfrey sighed. „We always knew you would never die peacefully. And you liked it. To serve and die."

Elderly woman smiled sadly.

„I hope you were satisfied, Alastor. You saved many and inspired even more people. And you were my joy and pain all these years. You still are. Always will be."

She slid her fingers over the mark on tree one last time.

„Farewell, Alastor," Poppy whispered before standing up, walking to where Harry had gone. Living were waiting for her help.


End file.
